Game Review: Marvel Nemesis: Rise Of The Imperfects

With the flood of software that the IGN team had to sort through last holiday season, a few games were bound to slip through the cracks. Electronic Arts' handheld version of Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects was one such game — a title released in the beginning of October, that for some reason or another, we completely overlooked. It's really too bad that we did too, since the PSP edition of Marvel Nemesis actually turned out to be slightly better than its console counterpart. Then again, it really wouldn't have taken much to beat out those rather mediocre PS2 and Xbox efforts.

simple is simple

In any case, the PSP version of Marvel Nemesis does share a number of similar elements with its console brethren. Though developed by a completely different studio (EA Canada instead of Nihilistic), the one-on-one fighting engine is essentially the same beast with far simpler controls. In other words, four basic commands still make up the meat of your arsenal (Block, Jump, Throw, and Attack), while two modifiers (Mobility and Super Power) allow you a little variety along the way. Needless to say, this straightforward approach didn't work very well for set-tops, but does lend itself better to the handheld concept.

Keep in mind, the reason that Nemesis is better as a handheld game isn't necessarily because of its simplicity — but rather, because of its inclusion of some badly needed adjustments. To start, EA has actually improved the gameplay by adding a card-collecting element. Totaling more than 170 in all, these cards (which are randomly chosen by players after each victory) can be assigned to hot keys on the digital directional pad. Once assigned, the cards can then be spent in the middle of battle for varying effects (offensive bonuses, defensive power-ups, recovered health, etc.), and they can really make a difference if you find yourself in a bind — especially against another human player.

But back to the "far simpler controls" point, and the fact that the lack of a second analog stick changes the way in which you keep track of your opponents. Now, a quick tap of the Block button (Triangle) also acts as a camera centering device and — despite its awkwardness during combos — it actually works better than the manual adjustments of the PS2 and Xbox versions. This doesn't mean that the game still isn't without its camera issues, because it definitely still has them (expect plenty of annoying readjustments thanks to spastic flank-jumping opponents and constant juggles during combos), but it is an improvement nonetheless.